Electrical pickup for wind instruments



Aug. 28, 1945. A. OHNSON 2,383,553

ELECTRICAL PICK-UP FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS Filed, Feb. 21,.1944 2Sheets-Sheet 1 @5 2 4 i m 70 T 27 24 $0;

I N VEN TOR.

ATTD RNEYS Aug. 28, 1945. A. JQHNSON 2,383,553

ELECTRICAL PICK-UP FOR WI ND INSTRUMENTS Filed Feb. 21, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I.-\' I 'EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 28, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICALPICKUP FOR WIND INSTRUMENTS Alfred Johnson, Buflalo, N. Y. ApplicationFebruary 21, 1944, Serial No. 523,331

10 Claims. (01. s4 ss3) Figure 1 isa side view of a mouthpiece showingmy invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 of an end view of I the mouthpiece viewed from the right ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged-sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an end view of a permanet magnet comprising two sectionsseparated for the sake of clearness.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the structure of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an end view of a sectional cover.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of the structure of Figure '7.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of a vibrator stabilizer. f

Figure 10 is an end view of the vibrator stabilizer viewed from theright of Figure 10.

Figure 11 is a side view.

Figure 12 is a plan View of a vibrator.

Figure 13 is a combination plan and end View of the vibrator viewed fromthe right of Fig-- ure 12. 6

Figure 14 is a plan view of a terminal mount, and

Figure 15 is a plan view of a cover locking clip.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, I make useof a mouthpiece 28 such as is used in a clarinet, although the inventionis equally well adapted to reed type mouthpieces employed in other typesof instruments. This mouthpiece is provided with the usual air passage22 and is provided with a reed 24 secured to the mouthpiece by aconventional plate 26.

' of the slots.

CAD

The reed 24 is in angular displacement with the constituting the northpole.

and 4|, respectively, see Figure 1, which lie in recesses in the body 30to restrain the section from rotation relatively to the body 33. Oneonly of the recesses is shown, and designated 46.

Windings 48 and 48 are mounted on the re ,spective posts 38 and 38, oneost constituting the south pole of the magnet 34 and the other end Thetwo windings 48 and 48 are connected by a wire 50, and the windings areconnected by wires 52 and 52 lead ing to output prong terminals 54 and54, respectively. These terminals provide means by which the magneticpickup may be electrically connected with an amplifier of any well knownconstruction (not shown).

The magnetic pickup structure is housed in a I cover 56 comprising twosimilar sections 58 and 58. The sections 58 and 58 are provided with endflanges 6!) and 60' lying against the end faces of the groove 32, withone fiange of each section bearing against one of the lugs 44, 44 toclamp its respective magnet section against the bottom face of thegroove 32. To adapt them to bear against the lugs 44 and 44', theflanges 68 and 68' are provided with slots 51 and 51 as shown in Figures3 and '7. The slots receive the lugs and the latter contact with the endwalls The annular walls 62 and 62 of the cover 56 are spaced from themagnet 34 to pro- 'vide accommodation for the wires 52 and 52'.

A vibrator 64 is mounted in a resilient support 66 see Figure 3, whichvibrator includes a resilient finger 68 extending into the air passage22 and having a curved end [0 bearing against the reed 24. The support66 preferably comprises rubber of tubular formation and is insertedthrough a diagonal bore 12 in the body 30. In Figures 12 and 13, thevibrator 34 includes a substantially half circular body 14 to which arefixedly connected armatures l6 and 16 lying in a common plane andslightly spaced from the respective posts or pole pieces 38 and 38, asin Figure 4. In Figure 3, the body vl4 has its end 18 bearing on aresilient support 80, such as a rubber body supported in a socket 82 ona plate 84 lying against the bottom face of the groove 30 and betweenthe spaced pole ends of the magnet sections 36 and 36. The body '80 andits socket 82, together with the plate 84, constitute a stabilizer forthe vibrator 64.

The shank 68 is preferably of one piece construction with the body 14,the body comprising soft iron which is also true of the armatures 16 and16. However the shank 6B is appropriately tempered for the sake offlexibility. In Figure 4,

the body 74 is provided with a pin 86 riveted to a bar 88. Adjustingscrews 90 are threaded through bosses 92 and 92' on the top walls 94 and94 of the cover sections 58 and 58'. Insulators 56 are interposedbetween the ends of the screws 90'and the bar 88. Thus the armatures l6and 56' may be adjusted toward and away from the pole pieces 38 and 38'and maintained in proper alignment therewith through adjustment of thescrews 92 since the resilient support 86 and body 86 provide sufficientyieldability for thi purpose.

The cover sections 58 and 58' are held in assembled relationship withthe mouthpiece through the medium of a clip 98 having arms,

H2 and H2 for the respective prong terminals 54 and 54' extend throughthe plate I08.

Vibration of the reed 24 imparts vibratory motion to the vibrator 64.The armatures 15 and 16' are therefore caused to move in the magneticfields adjacent the two poles of the magnet 34. Thus the vibrations ofthe reed 24 are translated into electric oscillations through the mediumof the electric pickup structure for reproduction in the amplifiercircuit. The Vibrator 64 may be accurately adjusted through the mediumof the screws 90, both with respect to the correct alignment of thearmatures 16 and the poles of the magnet 34 and for tone modifyingpurposes.

My invention is easily built into mouthpieces of conventional design.The instrument is played in the usual manner and does not, therefor,require the mastery of a new technique in order to play the instrumentsuccessfully. The mouthpiece is interchangeable with conventionalinstruments and is therefore easily substituted for the conventionalmouthpiece.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain myinvention, that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adaptthe same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

1. In a musical instrument mouthpiece having an air passage, thecombination of a reed operatively associated with the air passage, avibrator carried by said mouthpiece and operatively engaging said reed,a magnet having poles, connected windings on said poles, an armaturefixed to said vibrator and located in the magnetic fields of said polesfor translating reed vibrations into electrical oscillations forreproduction, and output terminals connected to said windings.

2. The invention described in claim 1 wherein said vibrator isresiliently mounted on the mouthpiece, and in which said armaturecomprises wings'fixedly related to the armature and respectively lyingin the magnetic fields of said poles.

3. The invention described in claim 1 wherein said vibrator isresiliently mounted on the mouthpiece, and in which said armaturecomprises wings fixedly related to the armature and respectively lyingin the magnetic fields of said poles, and means for adjusting said wingsrelatively to said poles.

4. The invention described in claim 1 wherein said vibrator comprises aflexible shank and in which said armature comprises wings projectinglaterally from the shank and lying in the respective magnetic fields,and resilient mounting means for the vibrator.

5. In a wind instrument of the type described, a mouthpiece body havingan air passage, a reed operatively associated with said air passage,said body having a circumferential groove, a magnet comprising twosections each having a pole, a cover for said magnet and havingengagement therewith for holding the sections in position in the groove,electrically connected windings on the respective poles, a vibratorresiliently mounted on said body and having a shank operatively engagingsaid reed, and an armature fixedly related to said shank and lying inthe magnetic fields of the respective poles for translating reedvibrations into electrical oscillations for reproduction, and outputterminals connected to said windings.

6. The invention described in claim 5 wherein means are provided foradjusting said armature relatively to said poles.

7. In a musical instrument, a mouthpiece body having an air passage, areed operatively associated with said air passage, said body having acircumferential groove, a magnet mounted in said groove, said magnetcomprising sections keyed one to the other and each provided witl apole, electrically connected windings on the respective poles, avibrator comprising a shank engaging said reed and having an armaturearranged in the magnetic fields of said poles for translating reedvibrations into electrical oscillations for reproduction, outputterminals connected to said windings, a resilient support for said shankinterposed between the latter and said body, said shank terminating in acurved end, a resilient body interposed between said curved end and saidfirst mentioned body, a cover attached to said first mentioned body forholding the magnet in said groove, and screw means for adjusting saidarmature relatively to said poles.

8. The invention described in claim 7 wherein said cover is sectional,and means for detachably holding the sections in assembled relationship.with said body.

9. The invention described in claim 7 wherein said armature compriseswings fixedly related to said curved end and respectively lying in saidmagnetic field, and adjusting screws threaded through said cover andengaging the respective wings for adjusting the latter relatively to therespective poles.

10. The invention described in claim 7 wherein said curved end and saidarmature are formed of soft iron, and in which said shank is temperedfor flexibility.

ALFRED JOHNSON.

